Grapes and gills mix it up for VOA

Dawn Nakamura Kessler, her son, David, and husband, Dr. Randy Kessler, enjoy the seafood prepared by the chefs at McCormick's. Photo by Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post

Red Wine & Seafood? Of Course! took a trip down the Italian coast this year when executive chef Joseph Ramirez and his crew from McCormick’s Fish House and Bar based the evening’s menu on recipes with a Mediterranean flair. Swordfish a la Siciliana, lobster fra diavolo, cannelloni de mar and seafood-stuffed calamari were just a few of the dishes prepared for the annual tasting party that benefits Colorado branch of Volunteers of America.

Michael Moore and Denise Snyder chaired the event with her sister and brother-in-law, Kathleen Kenny Davia and Brad High, welcoming some 300 friends of VOA to the Oxford Hotel Ballroom for an evening that also included music by Mistura Fina Jazz Band, desserts from Gateaux, and a silent auction of items ranging from jewelry and mountain getaways to spa packages and shopping sprees. Moore, a makeup artist, owns Simply Moore in Cherry Creek North; Snyder owns the Larimer Square boutique Mariel; and Davia and High own Gateaux. Beverages were donated by Southern Wine & Spirits and decor was by Flower Power.

“It’s our best ever, I think,” observed VOA Guild president Ann DeGroat.
VOA’s community affairs manager, Jim White, added to the bidding excitement by calling on his contacts in pro sports for donations that included game tickets, a pair of size 19 basketball shoes autographed by Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, a Colorado Avalanche jersey signed by Joe Sakic, a baseball bearing Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis’ signature and a ball that Chauncey Billups, also of the Denver Nuggets, had signed.